The Knowledge Base Informing the Teaching of Administrative and Organizational Theory in UCEA Universities: Empirical and Interpretive Perspectives. Improving the Preparation of School Administrators. Notes on Reform No. 5

Course syllabi for administrative and organizational theory courses offered in universities affiliated with the University Council for Educational Administration are analyzed. The relative extent to which four schools of though (traditional, phenomenology, ethnomethodology, and critical theory) contribute topics, themes, and concepts to the courses described in 36 syllabi is examined. Five central themes were extracted: (1) theoretical and historical foundations; (2) process and change; (3) sociopolitical structures; (4) leadership; and (5) culture and symbols. Findings are compared with the main recommendations proposed in "The Report and Papers of the National Commission on Excellence in Educational Administration." Implications of the findings are related to the important challenges currently facing the field of education. The major conclusion of the study is that teaching in these courses is limited to topics and themes shaped by traditional perspectives. Alternative perspectives are underrepresented in the courses examined. Issues such as those dealing with race, gender, ethnicity, and social class are similarly underrepresented. Appended is a syllabi bibliography. (30 references) (SI)